It’s safe to say Wednesday night’s trip to Rugby Park is a biggie – Ibrox Noise covered this one recently already, but we really cannot overstate the gravity of this match, and how hard it is likely to be.

Not only are Killie fourth and justifiably so, not only do they hardly lose at home (just two defeats all season) but that pitch is horrible for visiting teams to play on and we saw at McDiarmid the impact of a bad pitch which isn’t supporting flowing football.

We aren’t making excuses any more than Jamie Murphy or Martyn Waghorn, the reality is it’s a poor pitch and not befitting top flight football.

But the team that’s playing on it is going to be tough, and we can absolutely assure you our ‘friends’ from across the city will be watching this match intently, watching the score, hoping that Rangers slip up here.

This is the big one in so many ways – it’s the one Old Firm teams slip up on so frequently, Kilmarnock, because of that fake pitch.

And it’s what them lot are counting on to close the gap – that Derek McInnes’ well-drilled Killie will suck the life out of Rangers along with their pitch and bag a point or more.

The last time Rangers had even close to a ‘comfortable’ win at this venue goes back to 2018, and a 1-3 win, the last time we truly DID have a comfortable win is 2011 and the third season of 3IAR under Walter. 1-5 we won back then.

This is how tough Killie are, and how big a statement Rangers having a big win here would have. It took Walter Smith’s Blue and White Army 13 years ago to win easily at Killie, can Clement do the same?

It’s a different world now, of course, but if Big Phil can go to Killie, comfortably win and break ‘them lot’ in the process, it will have been a great evening’s work.

But it’s going to take a big effort to do that.

We cross our fingers.